Chapter 68

After Toji's purge of the curse users, the upper echelons engaged in intense debates for a while.

Initially focused on uncovering Zoro's identity and attempting to recruit him, the upper echelons' attention shifted towards Toji after he wiped out four curse user organizations.

Discussions ranged from officially registering Toji as a sorcerer and assigning him a rank and duties, to objections about how to rank someone without any cursed energy, and even absurd suggestions to label him a curse user and eliminate him.

After days of fruitless debate, the upper echelons decided to postpone any decisions.

This included postponing Zoro's enrollment in the Tokyo Sorcery High, protecting Zoro at the school until he was of age to enroll, and determining any actions or rankings for Toji.

However, they couldn't just leave Zoro and Toji alone, so they arranged for someone affiliated with the Tokyo Sorcery High to meet them once a week and prepare a report.

It was essentially outsourcing their surveillance of Toji and Zoro to the school.

Both the school and Toji's family found this decision frustrating.

"Ah, it's so warm."

Gojo Satoru squeezed his lengthy body under the kotatsu, leaving only his head peeking out as he lounged around.

The problem was that this was Toji's house, and the kotatsu was newly set up by Toji that day.

Wrapped in the blanket, Gojo said, "I'm not leaving here. You go to the mission alone, Suguru."

"Satoru, that's not yours. Plus, this is someone else's house, you know? Get up already."

"No way."

Toji thought to himself that he should have eliminated Gojo and the others back then, as he watched Gojo wriggle under the kotatsu like a bug.

Megumi looked around Gojo curiously before asking his family, "Why is Satoru like that?"

"Maybe he likes warm places, Megumi?"

"Because he's stupid."

"Because he hasn't been hit enough."

"Do you think I'm doing this because I want to? I'm on a mission!"

Gojo retorted, head still raised while his body remained hidden under the kotatsu, after hearing the successive comments from Tsumiki, Zoro, and Toji.

"...You seem to be enjoying it too much for that, Satoru."

Geto remarked dryly. While it was true they were visiting Toji's house as part of their duty to keep an eye on him and Zoro, Satoru's behavior hardly matched the mission's seriousness.

Toji decided it was time to get rid of it. He stood up and wrapped Gojo Satoru in the kotatsu, lifting it all together. Then he kicked open the window.

"Wait—"

"Enough, get lost."

Toji threw Gojo far away. There was a thud followed by the sound of the kotatsu breaking apart. Gojo would have surrounded himself with an infinity barrier if he hadn't, then it's his own stupidity.

Tsumiki muttered as she watched the blanket and table fly away.

"That was just taken out of the storeroom."

"Anything he's used shouldn't be used."

It's infectious.

Toji slowly patted Tsumiki's head and spoke to Geto Suguru.

"Get lost too, Forehead."

"I can't do that. While it's true Satoru was wrong, our mission is to observe you and Zoro."

The broken kotatsu will be compensated for by Satoru. Saying this, Geto smiled gently.

Toji narrowed his eyes. The tone was polite, but the message was clear he wasn't leaving.

'This one's a sorcerer too.'

Young and doesn't know the value of his own life.

Feeling like he's watching a puppy act tough, Toji bared his teeth in amusement. It's typical for young, talented sorcerers to be arrogant, but they shouldn't be in front of Toji.

"It would be better for you to leave while talking nicely. I've finished talking with your homeroom teacher."

For one hour a week, for three hours, Toji and Zoro come to the Tokyo Sorcery High. They don't perform any missions or work. They literally just show up at the school and then leave. The school, in turn, pays Toji for this time, and if they spend more time at the school, they receive additional compensation.

Between the upper echelons, who ordered the surveillance of Zoro and Toji, and Toji, who didn't want the school's sorcerers at his house, this was a compromise found by Yaga Masamichi.

It seemed these two were unaware of the deal between Yaga and Toji. If they knew, they wouldn't have come over so freely on the pretext of a mission.

Toji recalled the very polite, large sorcerer who was in charge of these two.

'Not a stupid one.'

And quite a decent teacher. Without Yaga's proposition, these two might not have been of this world by now.

Noise came from the direction of the entrance. Finally here. A polite knock was heard, and Toji went to open the door. There stood Gojo Satoru with a bump on his head and Yaga Masamichi.

"..."

Yaga silently bowed his head in front of Toji.

"Suguru, come out. Your mission is over."

"Eh? Yes."

"Satoru, you better apologize now."

"No—"

Bang!

"Ow!"

After adding another bump on top of Gojo's existing one, Yaga grabbed Satoru's head and made him bow simultaneously, bowing respectfully himself.

"The students have caused a significant inconvenience. It's my fault for not conveying the mission properly. I am truly ashamed."

It's also a hassle on our end to see blood in front of the kids. If they'd just take them away quickly, that'd be welcome. Toji waved his hand dismissively.

"This matter will incur an additional charge."

"Understood. Then..."

Yaga gave another relieved bow and closed the door behind him. The whines of Gojo Satoru could be heard from behind the closed door, but that was none of Toji's concern.

Zoro, seeing Toji return with a look of relief, commented.

"You restrained yourself well."

"I refuse free labor— no, that's not it."

Toji had almost carelessly mentioned refusing to work for free, but stopped himself, realizing it wasn't something to say in front of his son, despite Zoro being aware of Toji's killer activities.

"You seem to have held back quite a bit for you. Any reason?"

"If sorcerers decrease too much, it'd be troublesome."

While Zoro and Toji might be exceptions, Megumi is almost certain to work in the sorcery field.

Already, by wiping out the curse users, the manpower to handle curses has drastically decreased. If the strongest two were also eliminated, the gap in sorcery manpower would become enormous.

"Those guys need to stay alive to beat down curses. Otherwise, all the increased and strengthened curses since Gojo Satoru's birth might all fall to Megumi to handle."

Or Zoro and Toji might have to take care of it themselves.

Otherwise, curses that had been quiet during Gojo Satoru's life might start rampaging, and before Megumi's generation even begins to act, the sorcery world could collapse, leaving non-sorcerers to suffer at the hands of curses.

None of these outcomes were what Toji wanted. It's still a long way off, and he had no intention of letting it happen.

Zoro's face became grim. He understood the meaning. But...

"Those guys leading the sorcery world... especially that white-haired brat, doesn't seem very proper either."

"..."

Unable to argue, Toji remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"We'll have to fix their attitudes."

"How?"

How do you plan to fix the attitude of someone who barges into someone's home and snuggles into their kotatsu like it's their own? Sensing Zoro's skepticism, Toji smiled.

"Don't worry. I have the perfect way."

If they get beaten up, they'll listen. While they don't seem to understand human language, the primitive language of fists they will comprehend. Getting hit will also toughen them up, preventing them from recklessly relying on their techniques and getting killed.

'It might be better for them to stay alive, even if they get beaten up.'

Time to relieve some stress. Toji cracked his knuckles.

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